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LG G Flex Review

LG has been an underdog in the mobile industry for quite some time. However, last year brought about a new beginning for the Korean manufacturer especially in the mobile space. LG broke the traditional association of “cheap products” when they successfully chased the market with a product like the LG G2.

The new G Flex is the company’s latest marvel and a first of a kind phone at that. The first phone with a curved display, a curved body and a curved battery. The G Flex is also capable of handling reverse tension of upto 40 kilograms and then returning to original state.

Specifications

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[col size=”6″]

Display

Chipset

Battery

Camera

RAM

Storage

Price

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[col size=”6″]

6 Inch

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800

3500 mAh

13 MP main / 2.1 MP Secondary

2 GB

32 GB

Rs. 63000 / USD 899

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Build Quality and Design

The funny thing about the build quality of the LG G Flex is that on one hand, it has a brilliant build and design : it is the first curved phone, which flexes and returns to its original position. It also has great tensile materials that allow it to do that flex thing it does, including LG’s patented Plastic OLED (POLED) tech. However on the other hand, the phone is purely plastic, front to back, the Plastic Display adds to the plastic nature making the phone look : well not so premium.

[quote text_size=”small”]Curved and Flexible makes it unique![/quote]

The G Flex however due to its design can be mishandled quite a lot. It has a very damage resistant design, including the Gorilla Glass (er.. plastic) front, the self healing paint finish on the back that does a pretty decent job. You can however scratch the back if that what you are trying to do, dropping the phone on concrete can have bad repercussions.

Performance, Display & Multimedia

The G Flex is a refreshing change for Android devices, just like the G2 the G Flex is responsive and fast and hold down on the lag quite a lot. Apart from daily chores, it does a brilliant job in handling heavy games and performance apps, especially a few architecture and calculation apps we tried.

Even benchmarks are not a problem for the G Flex and you will find it hovering in the top range of the spectrum of devices. The graphics performance also takes a leap as it saves up on the lower 720p display. The limitation of the new “POLED” tech restricts the screen resolution to 720p and may be upped in the G Flex 2.

For the time being the display is pretty fantastic, the vivid colors and exceptional brightness put it in the top their in our list. If you ignore the resolution which effective is pretty alright, considering the size of the display you are bound to hold it further away. You will not notice the lack of 1080p, and if you do its purely an irritation in the mind .

Multimedia is a brand new experience, it fun even, simply because the curved display adds a strange magic to the viewing experience. The curve is pretty good and noticeable and anyone holding the device is impressed when viewing videos . The inbuilt sound may not be the top notch sound you would expect .

The G Flex captures and plays back 4k video, which allows you to zoom into videos without loss of resolution. A new tech also allows you to zoom into the sound of the area you zoom into. LG calls it Audio Zoom and shockingly it works well.

Camera

The camera on this handset seems less polished than one would expect. Images are shabby, and mostly end up shaky. The lack of image stabilization also shows its dark side. Unlike the G2 the G Flex seems to have a slow and shabby shutter and mostly translates to less sharp images in the end.

That all being said, its not a complete failure and one can really take pictures by being careful with the handset. On the plus side the sensor captures unaltered 4K video which is simply too good to talk about. Talk about portable Ultra High Def, the camera is highly capable and manages excellent video. There is some software stabilization which may not be very well appreciated but, applying stabilization in post works great and you can even select your areas from the 4k footage to make a nice 1080p video with the right kind of detail. Its like a lossless zoom in video. 4k Video is the future of mobile camera tech, we saw that at MWC, and the G Flex embraces it really well.

[quote text_size=”small”]G Flex embraces 4k Video as it’s the future[/quote]

Phone Networks and Battery Life

The G Flex is a great phone too, with an excellent grasp on network towers the G Flex is able to get network where most phones failed. We used the G Flex primarily while traveling for MWC and while most people struggled with network problems, we were pretty happy.

Battery life was also excellent, also possibly due to a great network antenna. The 3500 mAh battery is not only good on paper but also in real life usage. LG has managed processes and its display really well ensuring high battery life. Great apps like the power saver enhance the battery considerably and come out of the box. Oh and did we mention that he battery is curved!

Conclusion

The LG G Flex is a new age smartphone, it has all the matching pre requisites and it is a one of a kind device. It is not only curved, it flexes! The hardware is on the low side when compared to higher end of the spectrum, 720p display vs an 1080p and 2 GB of RAM vs 3 GB. However, those specs are arguably not needed.

While the performance of the phone is really on the happy side, the camera especially for stills is the sad side. Video, especially 4k is good and the phone networks are solid and battery excellent. The G Flex is large and not easily handled with one hand, even with large ginormous hands.

The G Flex brings in a new category, bendable phones, while its a step into the future we are not quite there yet and a long time from it. The design is unique and one of a kind, the build nice and resistance splendid. Honestly if LG made this phone slightly smaller we would have been happier, at 6 inches its more a mini tablet. So bring on the G Flex Mini and we we be happy soldiers.

Even though its priced high, its a new technology and may be worth the value for those who become first movers.

March 11, 2014
Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet Launched With 10″ FHD Display, Snapdragon 801 & Thin Design

Sony unveiled three new devices today, the Xperia M2, Xperia Z2 and the Xperia Z2 Tablet. The Xperia Z2 Tablet is the successor to the Xperia Z Tablet. However, this comes with many considerable changes, the new tablet measures 6.4 mm thickness which can put the iPad Air to shame when it comes to thickness.

However, being slim is not only the USP here, as the company has also upgraded the specs. The Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet sports a 10 inch Live Color LED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.Sony has used its BRAVIA TV technology to generate brighter and more consistent colors, by using a mix of red and green phosphor and blue LEDs.

The Xperia Z2 Tablet is powered by a 2.3 Ghz Quad-Core CPU with a Snapdragon 801 chipset. Packed with a 3 GB RAM, 16 GB internal storage, expandable storage via MicroSD card. The device is included with an Exmor RS sensor for this tab’s 8.1 MP primary camera, and a 2.2 MP front(Secondary) camera retains the same Exmor R sensor as on the Xperia Z tablet.

The device is packed with a 6000 mAh battery and runs on Android 4.4 KitKat. Retaining all these features the Xperia Z2 tablet still manages to be waterproof keeping up the names of Xperia devices and should be available in major markets by March. More information to follow soon.

February 24, 2014
Opera App Store Reaches 200,000 Apps and 105 Million Monthly Visitors

Opera says its effort to build an app store are starting to show traction, with the site now garnering more than 100 million visitors per month with a catalog of more than 200,000 apps for Android, BlackBerry, Symbian, iOS and Java.

As it stands the store currently plays host to over 200,000 apps and has also undergone a redesign back in 2013 which presumably helped play a part in seeing its user base grow. According to Lars Boilesen, the CEO of Software, “In just over two years, the Mobile Store has shown strong growth – from 18 million monthly visitors to 100 million, and has seen a fivefold increase in the number of apps offered. The compression technology in Opera’s browsers, combined with the broad portfolio of apps in the Opera Mobile Store across many different platforms, have resulted in massive adoption of the store worldwide.”

Users can access the Mobile Store via Opera’s flagship Mini, Mobile Classic and Opera for Android mobile browsers. The store has been proven as an effective mobile-content distribution platform in several of the world’s fastest-growing mobile markets including India, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia and South Africa

January 28, 2014
Skype 4.5 for Android Tablets Brings Video Calls Anywhere and More
Skype has again updated its Android application specially for tablets. The company seems to have focus on optimizing its application for Tablet users. The Skype 4.5 for tablets brings some new features like picture in picture window and new pinch to browse feature.

Skype is the first Android application to offer a picture in picture window that lets you see the video call even when you switch away to other applications. Which means, users can simply use the tablet for anything, surfing the web or playing games while the video call is still active. Skype is trying to create the Snap View type of experience that is currently used by Windows 8 users.

On the other hand, the company has also added a new scrolling feature to jump from one contact to another quickly. Users now just have to pinch the contact list to zoom out to an alphabet and tap on the letter to jump to that section. The company claims that this is alot faster than actual scrolling.

Alongside the addition of these two new features, Skype has also added some improvements to this version:
- Improved Video Instant Messaging functionality overall, including fixes on latest Samsung phones
- Added compatibility for the Hudl tablet
- Fixed crashes on the Nexus 5
- Drop down filter selections on the people tab are now persistent
[Skype]
December 14, 2013
UC Browser For iPad Gets Updated With New Features

UC Browser updates its application for iPad users in order to enhance the user experience. Not very long ago, the company updated the Android version to 9.4 adding great speeds and now the UC Browser+ HD 2.3 brings new features to the iPad.

The latest update for iPad brings in features like Social Links and an upgraded Floating Video Player. These new features are added by the company to ease user’s social life, and to give them a different online video playing experience. The Social Links feature fetches posts in all of the users social streams that contain url links from popular social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and displays them in a pop-up widget.

One of the other features added in the update is the Floating Video Player which allows users to play videos in full screen or in an adjustable window that can be placed anywhere for viewing. Furthermore, the browser comes with multiple wallpaper options which can help users to personalize according to the mood.

Whereas, there are few features that can are user friendly and useful in daily routine like the Gesture control feature and the inbuilt Evernote feature.

December 13, 2013
BBM App For Android And iOS Gets New Features, Adds iPad and iPod Support

BlackBerry Messenger for Android and iOS was available some time back for Android devices and iPhones. At present the BBM app on Android has more than 10,000,000 downloads and a big number of downloads from iPhones as well.

Now, this number will increase soon, as BlackBerry has announced that BBM app for iOS will now support iPads and iPods as well(Good news for BB fans), the only condition would be you should be on iOS 6 or higher. That is not all, alongside the addition of the apps compatibility with iPads and iPods the company has also issued some bug fixes that will take care of the problems like battery drainage issue of Android devices and the missing contact name issues on iOS devices.

BlackBerry has also added PIN Barcode system, introduced in the update to BBM for Android and iPhone, the new Share PIN option makes sharing your PIN Barcode easier. Using this option you can quickly share your PIN Barcode to any social networking site or anywhere else you like. Feel free to update your app and get more information from the links below.

[BlackBerry, Android, iOS]

November 15, 2013
The New Nexus 7 32 GB LTE Listed On Play Store At a Price Of 25999 INR

The much awaited tablet from Google the new Nexus 7 is now listed on the Google Play Store with a tag of Coming Soon. The new Nexus 7 is listed as a 32 GB LTE/WiFi/HSPA+ variant and is priced at 25999 INR.

However, other variants of the tablets seems unavailable as the price is not mentioned in INR and if you try to click on any of them which are Nexus 7 16 GB WiFI or the Nexus 7 32 GB WiFi they have prices in USD and are not available in India. This can surely hint that the new tablet will hit the shelves soon.

The Nexus 7 tablet features a 7 inch full-HD display (1920×1200 pixels), with a pixel density of 323ppi. It is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5 GHz, and is equipped with a 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB of inbuilt storage which is not expandable. The new Nexus 7 also sports a 5 MP rear camera and a 1.2 MP front-facing camera.

For more information check out are unboxing, Gaming, Benchmarks and the full review below:

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November 4, 2013
Tim Cook: “It’s Unclear Whether There Will Be Enough Retina iPad Mini To Meet Demand”

In an Earnings Call when Tim Cook was asked about availability of the new iPad mini with Retina display, he said said that the new iPad will start shipping later in November, he added that it is unclear whether we’ll have enough for the quarter or not.

Tim Cook emphasized on saying that we know how many we’ll have, but that is difficult to predict demand for a product until it starts shipping. This statement can be related to the rumors that suggested the limited stock of the new iPad mini retina display. However, Apple hopes this holiday season to be a iPad season which seems difficult because of the flat sales for the iPads. No words on availability of the new iPads in the Indian market, the new iPhones will be available starting 1st November.

[via]

October 29, 2013
Samsung Acquires 7.4 Percent of Gorilla Glass Maker Corning

Corning has taken full control of Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co. Ltd., which is a joint venture 43 percent owned by Samsung itself. In return, the Korean company will get $1.9 billion worth of shares in Corning, which if converted, would give it a 7.4 percent stake.

Both organisations have also agreed to a deal that will see Samsung Display supplied by Corning till 2023. The company’s Gorilla Glass is used in most of the high-end smartphones and tablets, which includes products made by Samsung, Apple and even HTC. This deal might create some unwanted heat from other companies who also uses Gorilla Glass.

October 23, 2013
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition launched in India at a Price of 49990 INR

Samsung has launched the latest Galaxy Note tablet in India, the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition is priced at 49990 INR. The tablet is now available throughout India in all the stores.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition sports a 10.1 inch WQXGA display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. The Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 is powered by a 1.9 GHz quad-core and 1.3 Ghz quad-core Exynos 5 Octa processor. The device is packed with a 3GB of RAM which was seen on the Note 3, the tablet has a 32 GB inbuilt storage which is expandable via Micro SD. The Galaxy Note 10.1 features a 8 MP primary camera with BSI sensor and autofocus along with LED flash, the secondary camera on the device is a 2 MP BSI sensor. The device runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and is packed with a giant 8220 mAh battery.

The new GALAXY Note 10.1 delivers the best viewing and multitasking experiences. It is a demonstration of Samsung Mobile’s focus on constant product innovation to stay aligned with shifting consumer interests,” said Mr. Vineet Taneja, Country Head, Mobile & IT, Samsung India. “The GALAXY Note 10.1 (2014 Edition) unites functionality, usage experience and mobility to make the everyday lives of consumers easier and more enjoyable.”

The device also features S Pen, and delevers features seen on Note 3 like the Action Memo, Scrapbook, Screen Write and S Finder. The newly launched Galaxy Note 10.1 also comes pre-loaded with Samsung KNOX for enhanced security. Connectivity options on the tablet include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct and AllShareCast, as well as 3G/ LTE as indicated earlier.

The device is available in two color options jet black and classic white, the company has given the device the same leather look at the back as on the Note 3.

October 23, 2013
Canon Launches Powershot S200 in India at a Price of 19995 INR

Canon India has introduced the new PowerShot S200 in India. The latest edition to the S-series is a slim pocked-sized camera body and is priced at 19995 INR.

The camera features a Controller Wheel and Control Ring that suits people who want to shoot not only with Auto, but also photos to their own preferences with manual mode. The camera is equipped with Advanced DIGIC 5 imaging processor. The Advanced DIGIC 5 imaging processor enhances the camera’s HS System by incorporating an advanced algorithm to deliver exceptional image quality and also has built in Wi-Fi. WiFi capabilities on PowerShot S200 allows instant sharing and uploading. The Canon Image Gateway(CIG) allows instant uploading from the cameras. Users with smartphones can also use the CameraWindow app (available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store) to perform the same function.

The camera is equipped with a F2.0 lens, the company claims that its newly engineered specifically for the PowerShot S200, the device features a 24 mm Wide-Angle 5x Optical Zoom (24mm-120mm) lens with a F Stop of f/2.0–f/5.9.

[toggle title=”Press Release “]New Delhi, 21st October, 2013: Canon India, world leader in Digital Imaging Space has introduced the new PowerShot S200 in India. The latest edition to the S-series inherits supreme power with slim pocked-sized camera body. The camera comes with Controller Wheel and Control Ring that suits people who want to shoot not only with Auto, but also photos to their own preferences with manual mode

Key Features:

· Advanced DIGIC 5 imaging processor

The Advanced DIGIC 5 imaging processor enhances the camera’s HS System by incorporating an advanced algorithm to deliver exceptional image quality
· Wi-Fi for easy sharing

WiFi capabilities on PowerShot S200 allows for instant sharing and easy uploading. The Canon Image Gateway*(CIG) allows for instant uploading from the cameras. Users with smartphones can also use the CameraWindow app (available in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store) to perform the same function

· F2.0 lens for dramatic depth-of-field images

Newly engineered specifically for the PowerShot S200, the 24mm Wide-Angle 5x Optical Zoom (24mm-120mm) lens with a F Stop of f/2.0–f/5.9, giving the user exceptional versatility and allowing them to create captivating portraits with beautiful, soft background blur, even in low light.
· Full range of shooting and recording modes, including Live View Control

Capture the images the way you envision it using the full Manual mode or Live View Control. The PowerShot S200 gives you outstanding flexibility and complete creative control.
The PowerShot S200 is priced at INR 19,995/-[/toggle]

October 21, 2013
Acer Launches Windows 8.1 Tablet: ‘Acer Iconia W4’

Acer has recently launched the Iconia W4, the tablet will start shipping in the US this month and will be available in two variants 32/64 GB, priced at $330/$380 respectively.

The tablet is powered by Intel’s Atom processor which is clocked at 1.8 GHz, the device features a 8 inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. The Acer Iconia W4 sports a 5 MP autofocus camera and a 2 MP front facing camera. The device is preloaded with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 for creating and editing Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents, out of the box. The tablet supports additional storage up to 32 GB via microSD card and features some connectivity options like Micro-USB, Micro-HDMI and microSD slot.

The Acer Iconia W4 is a successor to the Iconia W3 tablet which was launched last year, however, the tablet runs Windows 8.1 which is Microsoft’s latest operating system for desktops, notebooks and tablets which is now already available. Windows 8.1 brings new updates like enhanced searching and sharing features with Internet Explorer 11 and brings back the Start button.

Pricing and availability for the Indian market is not yet available, but we will keep you informed with all the latest updates.

October 18, 2013
HCL Me Champ Tablet Launched For Kids At a Price Of 7999 INR

HCL has launched its latest tablet in India, the HCL Me Champ, the tablet is targeted at ‘kids’ between 3 to 12 years of age and is available for 7999 INR.

Commenting on the launch, Gautam Advani, Global Head, Mobility Business Unit, HCL Infosystems Ltd. said, “We are very happy to launch our new ME Champ tablet specially designed for kids powered by a unique parent control feature. This product is aimed at parents who have their child in the age group of 3 to 12 years, and strengthens our tablet portfolio.”

The HCL Me Champ Tab is powered by a 1 GHz Cortex processor with a Mali-400 GPU, the tab further has a 1 GB of RAM and a 4 GB of inbuilt storage which can further be expanded to 32 GB. The HCL ME Champ features a 7 inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The device sports a 2 MP rear camera, VG front camera, packed with a a 3100 mAh battery, and connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Mini-HDMI and 3G via dongle.

The latest HCL Me Champ tablet comes preloaded with content like children’s videos, comics, games, knowledge and music. The pre-loaded apps include exercises in subjects like art, geography, history, language and mathematics.

As this tablet is been designed for kids, the Me Champ tablet comes with tracking features, a control mechanism to help parents monitor their child’s activities and an Application Manager that offers parents the ability to select apps and restrict tablet use duration for kid’s access.

October 16, 2013
Xolo Play Tab 7.0 With Tegra 3 Launched at 12,999 INR

Xolo has finally launched its much awaited tab in the Indian market, the Xolo Play Tab 7.0, the device is priced at 12,999 INR. The availability of the device is still not confirmed.

The Xolo Play Tab 7.0 sports a 7 inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels(216ppi). The device is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor along with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of inbuilt storage. The Xolo Play Tab runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and features a 2 MP front-facing camera, surprisingly there is not rear camera on the tablet.

The Xolo Play Tab 7.0 includes a 4000 mAh battery and Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Micro-USB as connectivity options. The Xolo Play Tab 7.0 measures 194.6 x 122.6 x 10.6 mm and weighs 338 grams. The tablet does not offers calling facility. Xolo is also expected to launch the Xolo Play Tegra Note later this month.

October 12, 2013
Instagram Update for Android Adds Enhanced Video Control

The Instagram 4.1 version for iOS users has the ability to straighten photos from a long time now, with today’s update for Android, users can now enjoy the same feature on the smartphones running on Android OS.

The latest Android application update, which will supposedly hit Google Play store today, brings the photo straightening feature and some more add on benefits as the new update enables sound and data usage controls for the video.

While you enjoy these additions, one feature of Instagram still remains out of the reach for Android users. Cinema Stabilization is a feature that iOS users have been enjoying from a long time now, but this update does not seem to give Android users a chance to get benefit of it. However, the update is still not active but is expected to hit your devices some time today.

October 11, 2013